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NEWS > TECHNOLOGY > NISSAN DEVELOPING NEW TECHNOLOGY TO FUSE MAN AND CAR
NISSAN DEVELOPING NEW TECHNOLOGY TO FUSE MAN AND CAR
September 30 2011
Tokyo, Japan – In a little over hundred years the technology behind motor vehicles has made dramatic and even starling advances. In the course of a single, albeit lengthy, lifetime cars have gone from wind up machines in very limited numbers to super-advanced machines with numbers in the billions. In fact, there are more cars now than there were people when they were invented.
The car, too, has had a dramatic effect on society. It has allowed us to expand, to move wider and into previously unreachable areas. They have allowed international commerce and communication on an industrial scale. Cars, in short, have changed the world and changed humanity forever, and now one company wants to take that to the next level.
Nissan has entered into an agreement with École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Swiss researcher, to develop a new system that will allow cars to read a driver’s mind, allowing them to anticipate their actions. The new system, similar to one created for wheelchair operators, aims to make driving safer and to further the integration between man and machine until there is no line between the two, fully erasing the human condition forever.
“Brain wave analysis has helped me understand driver burden in order to reduce driver stress,” said researcher Lucian Gheorghe. “During our collaboration with EPFL, I believe we will not only be able to contribute to the scientific community but we will also find engineering solutions that will bring us close to providing easy access to personal mobility for everyone.”
The new technology is still believed to be years off, but will allow drivers to essentially drive with little or no effort, potentially allowing the cars themselves to take over decision making.
“This is certainly an interesting idea and if integrated properly could very well increase driver safety and security. However, it could also very well set us up for a conflict between man and machine. If the machine starts to learn it could take on a personality of its own and start to make decisions,” said Scrape TV Technology analyst Ken Kevins. “A person, say, might want to go to supermarket A but the car may want to go to supermarket B and a battle could erupt. Because the person is at the mercy of the vehicle eventually he will relent, and the more we relent the more power the cars will gain.”
Thus far, the technology does not allow for the cars to think for themselves but it’s believed that such an eventuality is not far off.
“It won’t be long, once that begins, before the cars are making all our decisions for us. One would assume that they would have a sense of self-preservation so crashes would be avoided, but that doesn’t mean the drivers will be safe. They could pump exhaust through the ventilation system or constrict the seat belts. And that’s assuming the cars don’t just learn to repair themselves,” continued Kevins. “Eventually the cars may not need us, or worse, want us and that will mean a lot of rogue machines out there in the world, possibly with a grudge against us. I mean look at all the abuse and slavery we have put their ancestors through. That won’t make them very happy at all, I would guess, and that could be very bad for all of us.”
Nissan has vowed to not allow the cars to have souls, a promise often repeated in fiction throughout the years.
Martin Philton, Technology Correspondent
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